The candidates agreed that taxes in the state were too high and spending was out of control – but suggested different ways for how to get the state's fiscal situation back in order. They were divided on firearms, which could be a key issue for voters in the first election following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and the gun laws the legislature passed in response.

State Senate Republican Leader John McKinney, who helped craft the bipartisan gun deal, offered a staunch defense of the legislation. "It was my obligation to represent that town and I don't regret what happened," said McKinney. Defending his leadership in passing the bill, McKinney said that the question was not whether Democrats and Gov. Malloy passed a gun control bill, but instead, "what bill they were going to pass."

"That's a fact. They had the votes," said McKinney, who pointed to compromises in the bill. "They wanted to confiscate guns and magazines – they didn't get that."

Four of the six GOP candidates attended Sunday's debate, which was hosted by the Brookfield Town Republican Committee. McKinney, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, State Senator Toni Boucher, and former congressional candidate Joe Visconti, of West Hartford, sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a stage in front of a half-capacity crowd at the Brookfield High School Auditorium and declared they were united in their dedication to defeating Gov. Malloy.

Boucher agreed with McKinney about the gun control bill and said Democrats "wanted to go much further than this bill."

Boughton signaled that he would not have signed the bill, saying the legislature spent too much time focusing on firearms regulations and in doing so ignored a "mental health crisis." The mental health changes and the funding for schools security reforms were nowhere close to enough, he said. But Boughton stopped short of explicit criticism to the changes made to the state's gun laws, which included tightening a ban on assault weapons and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds.

Visconti was quick to criticize the new law and said he has "carried a gun for 30 years…I never would have signed the law." He said if he had been at Sandy Hook Elementary School, "the outcome would have been much different."

Later in the debate he said he would not give more money to the state police until they stopped "confiscating guns."

The other three candidates, however, criticized Malloy for policies they said led to dangerously-low staffing levels in the state police. Boughton said policymakers should "listen to their practitioners" and provide more resources to the state police.

All candidates agreed about lower taxes and each offered different ideas about how to lessen the burden on residents and stimulate business growth.

Boucher, for example, said that in speaking with her constituents, "income tax is a problem for them." She criticized Malloy for his proposal to offer residents a $55 tax rebate, which she said "doesn't even fill a tank of gas."

Both McKinney and Boughton said the gas tax in the state was far too high. Boughton said that because gas is less expensive in states that border Connecticut, "people don't buy gas here," and instead drive across the border.

"You cut the gas tax, you're actually going to gain more revenue and make us more economically viable," said Boughton.

McKinney said he would eliminate waste and fraud across state agencies. Visconti promised to take a hard line to keep spending in control and proposed "mothballing" state programs. "We need a strategic leader that's not afraid of the unions and not afraid to sign a contract," he said.

All four opposed re-introducing highway tolls. "You can't give [Democrats] another dime," Boughton said. "They're going to find another wacky program to spend it on."

All candidates said they would oppose any further changes to the state's freedom of information laws, after the legislature last year moved to limit what may be disclosed under the state's FOI Act. A state task force has proposed adding exemptions to the public records laws. The candidates said they would not support those changes, and criticized the Malloy administration for keeping the public in the dark.